Atlanta Braves: Spring Training Brings Optimism to the 2012 Season

Even without any headline-making trades or free agent signings, the Atlanta Braves are heading into Spring Training report dates with the confidence of a team that had the fifth most wins in Major League Baseball at the end of August instead of the team that surrendered an 8.5-game wild card lead in September.

All of the positional players expected to start on Opening Day have already arrived to camp a week early; the only exceptions are center fielder Michael Bourn and shortstop Tyler Pastornicky.

Third base coach Brian Snitker told MLB.com "This is the first time since I've been coming here that there have been this many position players here this early.” Snitker has been with the Braves since 1977.

As optimistic as spring camp can be, questions still surround the team. Will health issues in the rotation subside? Will key offensive players have bounce-back seasons?

Jason Heyward might be the most hopeful of the bounce-back candidates. An offseason dedicated to reworking his swing began just two weeks after the end of last season.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports “Heyward is working on taking a more direct path to the ball to avoid going around pitches and pulling all those weak choppers to the right side.”

Making adjustments will be key this season; after hitting .286 with six HRs vs. inside pitches in 2010, Heyward struggled in 2011, hitting only .180 with one HR.

Another bat looking to rebound is the probable two-hole hitter, Martin Prado. Not your prototypical corner outfielder, Prado needs to establish himself in the lineup behind leadoff man Michael Bourn as a table-setter for the middle of the order.

Improvement throughout the lineup in 2012 is essential for a team that had trouble hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP) last year; their .249 average was below the MLB average of .254.

Atlanta has a new shortstop in Tyler Pastornicky, who has been working out with veteran Jack Wilson in an effort to sharpen his defensive skills.

Injuries to the rotation were difficult to overcome last year. With Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens missing significant portions of the second half, Atlanta had to rely on rookies to fill their innings. Those young starters were not able to go deep into ballgames, which in a domino effect caused the bullpen to become overworked.

Hanson, who is the probable Opening Day starter, has proclaimed his injured right shoulder 100 percent healthy. In an effort to maintain that new-found health, he has spent the offseason reworking his delivery.

Peter Gammons, an MLB Network Insider, explains during a recent episode of MLB Hot Stove that Hanson has “shortened up his arm action, he’s eliminated that little hesitation that he had in his delivery.”

Gammons went on to say that “he’s really smoothed out, his arm really feels good and more importantly, hitters that have stepped in against him say they are having a very difficult time picking up the ball.”

After “kicking the tires” on a Jurrjens trade this winter, Atlanta is counting on him to return to the pre-injury form he showed during the first half of 2011, when he posted a 12-3 record, 1.87 ERA and 1.066 WHIP. He is expected to wear a knee brace to help protect against further injury.

Even though Mike Minor will enter spring camp penciled in as the fifth starter, look for manager Fredi Gonzalez to keep a close eye on prospects Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado.

Regardless of who wins the last spot in the rotation, Atlanta will need two of those young arms to head north with the club when camp breaks due to the likelihood that Tim Hudson will miss the month of April as he continues to recover from back surgery.

The bullpen is full of young, hard-throwing arms that are capable of being the best in Major League Baseball. Arodys Vizcaino (96-97 mph) will join closer Craig Kimbrel (96-100 mph) from the right side, while Jonny Venters (94-96 mph) and Eric O'Flaherty (91-93 mph) are shutdown from the left side.

Although the Braves have question marks heading into spring training, all the answers seem to be available in-house.

As with every team heading into camp, players are reporting in the best shape of their lives, and the optimism of a new season is running rampant through the clubhouse.

Jim Pratt is a Featured Columnist covering the Atlanta Braves for Bleacher Report, MLB contributor for MLBDepthCharts and BravesWire. Follow Jim on Twitter, @2OutSacBunt